Who said short films don’t attract crowds? Certainly not the craftsmen of the Regard festival in Saguenay, which has just broken its attendance record.
More than 30,000 people attended the various screenings late last week during the 27th presentation of this event, which has become a must on the film festival circuits in America.
Last year, Regard received 24,000 festival-goers in its halls. So we’re talking about a 25% increase.
Filmmaker Sébastien Pilote has been a member of the Regard board since its inception and is amazed by people’s reaction and curiosity.
“We have two halls with more than 900 seats and one with around 300 seats. We had to turn hundreds of people away on Saturday for movies people have never heard of,” he says.
A happy issue to be dealt with by CEO Justine Valtier. “Do we need another room?” We already have a few ideas in mind,” she says.
Photo by Sophie Lavoie courtesy of Festival Regard
The Regard International Short Film Festival broke attendance records for its 27th presentation this weekend in Saguenay.
youngsters meet
The Saguenay International Short Film Festival not only attracts filmmakers from all over the world to Saguenay, but is also very proud of the relatively young average age of its festival-goers. Many young people under 30 attend the sessions.
Particular attention is paid to the school clientele. In 2023, no fewer than 17,000 primary and secondary school students watched films on Regard.
“It’s important because they are the future. I believe that culture, like short films and cinema, is necessary to understand the world we live in,” says Justine Valtier.
Without compromise
For his part, Sébastien Pilote is pleased to note that the festival continues to grow without compromising on the quality of the films presented.
“We never settled into programming and it pays off. Quality, rigor and seriousness. »
He also sees in the success of Regard a hope for cinema in the cinemas. “There are still ways to attract people,” notes the filmmaker.
In order to judge the works in the official competition, Regard has put together a top-class jury. It was founded notably by Charles Tesson, former director of Cannes Critics’ Week and a luminary of cinema, director Maxime Giroux and actress Sophie Desmarais.
The films of Regard’s 2023 selection are available online at festivalregard.com from March 27th to April 9th
Some Regard 2023 winners
grand prize
- Natureza Humana, by Mónicca Lima (Portugal/Germany)
Special Mention (Grand Prize)
- Set Lam, by Vincent Fontano (France)
Canadian Grand Prix
- The Thirty-Second Season, by Charles-Émile Lafrance (Quebec)
Jury Prize
- Invincible, by Vincent René-Lortie (Quebec)
Special Mention (Jury Award)
- Tskaltubo, by Toby Andris (Quebec/Canada/Georgia)
Best Animation Award
- Ice Cream Vendor, by João Gonzalez (Portugal/UK/France)
Special Mention (Animation)
- Eeva, by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tsinakov (Estonia/Croatia)
Award for the best documentary film
- Buurman Abdi, from Douwe Dijkstra (Netherlands)
FIPRESCI Prize
- Madeleine, by Raquel Sancinetti (Quebec)
Quebec Critics’ Award
- Said of a Deer Letting His Antlers by Salomé Crickx (Belgium)
Honorable Mention (Award of Criticism)
- An avocado seed, by Ary Zara (Portugal)